A Little Ego Death and a Lot of Acceptance

A look back at 2025, and forward at what I want for myself next year

For me, 2025 began hilariously with a car fire. I was driving home from getting my oil changed at the Volvo dealer, when 3 minutes in, I noticed a plume of white smoke emerging from the engine block. In a matter of seconds, the car was engulfed and totaled before the fire department could get there. Suddenly, I was without my last remnant of my Ohio life, standing next to a group of highly-entertained hibachi chefs filming the incident.

I think it was staring into the flames of a mechanic’s botch job when I realized: girl, you have to get a grip. This stupid incident was comical, and a paper cut compared to the coinciding devastation of the LA fires’ obliteration. Sure, the car could be yet another thing I add to my long list of things happening to me over the past two years, or I could decide to move on. Okay, I thought, I’ll give acceptance a go.